St Michael's Church, Chester Square

Last updated

Church of St Michael, Chester Square
St. Michael with St. Philip, Chester Square
Church of St Michael, Chester Square - geograph.org.uk - 1452668.jpg
St Michael's in July 2009
St Michael's Church, Chester Square
51°29′39″N0°09′04″W / 51.49423°N 0.15105°W / 51.49423; -0.15105
Location Chester Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9EF
CountryEngland
Denomination Church of England
History
StatusActive
Architecture
Functional status Parish church
Heritage designation Grade II listed
Architect(s) Thomas Cundy
Years built1844
Administration
Diocese Diocese of London
Archdeaconry Archdeaconry of Charing Cross
Deanery Westminster (St Margaret) Deanery
Parish St. Michael's

The Church of St Michael is a Church of England parish church on Chester Square in the Belgravia district of West London. It has been listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England since February 1958. [1]

Contents

Design

It was built in 1844 at the time of the construction of the rest of the square, and consecrated two years later. The church is in the late Decorated Gothic style, with an exterior of Kentish Ragstone. The architect was Thomas Cundy the younger. [2]

The War Memorial Chapel at the north east end of the church was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott and completed in 1920. It was dedicated on 22 June 1922 in a ceremony attended by the Bishop of London, Arthur Winnington-Ingram. Wooden panels on the wall of the chapel contain 86 names of parishioners killed in World War I. [3] The stained glass West Window is by Hugh Easton and two windows to the south are by Morris & Co and date to 1882. The Ecclesiologist magazine criticised the opening, saying it was "an attempt - but happily a most unsuccessful one - to find a Protestant development of the Christian styles". [2]

History

Arthur Sullivan served as organist at the church in the early 1860s. [4]

W H Elliott was appointed Vicar of St Michael's in 1930. In 1931 he began a series of broadcast sermons from the church which lasted for the next eight years. Congregations of 500 people would attend the broadcast Thursday evening services, with a further 2,000 attending on the following Sunday. King George V and Queen Mary were regular listeners. An appeal for a fictitious poverty stricken child nicknamed 'Sally in our Alley' attracted 212,000 gifts from listeners and a prayer appeal in 1936 resulted in 5.5 million signed prayer cards. [5]

Benjamin Britten attended an evening service at which he heard Elliott preach on 2 July 1933. [6]

The Nigerian bass singer Christopher Oyesiku performed at St Michael's in the 1950s. [7] Margaret and Denis Thatcher attended St Michael's briefly while living in Chester Square but ultimately became congregants at the chapel of the Royal Hospital Chelsea as they found St Michael's too "happy clappy". [8]

St. Michael's House

St. Michael's House, at 2 Elizabeth Street, in nearby Victoria was built as a 'clubhouse' for St Michael's in the 1930s under the stewardship of the incumbent Vicar, W. H. Elliott. It was designed by Nugent Cachemaille-Day. The building served as an informal space for various children's activities and as a working men's club. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Thatcher</span> Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was a British stateswoman and Conservative politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the position. As prime minister, she implemented economic policies known as Thatcherism. A Soviet journalist dubbed her the "Iron Lady", a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Britten</span> English composer and pianist (1913–1976)

Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other vocal music, orchestral and chamber pieces. His best-known works include the opera Peter Grimes (1945), the War Requiem (1962) and the orchestral showpiece The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (1945).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coventry Cathedral</span> Cathedral in West Midlands, England

The Cathedral Church of Saint Michael, commonly known as Coventry Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry within the Church of England. The cathedral is located in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The current acting bishop is Ruth Worsley and the current dean is John Witcombe.

<i>Noyes Fludde</i> 1958 childrens opera by Benjamin Britten

Noye's Fludde is a one-act opera by the British composer Benjamin Britten, intended primarily for amateur performers, particularly children. First performed on 18 June 1958 at that year's Aldeburgh Festival, it is based on the 15th-century Chester "mystery" or "miracle" play which recounts the Old Testament story of Noah's Ark. Britten specified that the opera should be staged in churches or large halls, not in a theatre.

<i>Hymn to St Cecilia</i> Composition by Benjamin Britten

Hymn to St Cecilia, Op. 27 is a choral piece by Benjamin Britten (1913–1976), a setting of a poem by W. H. Auden written between 1940 and 1942. Auden's original title was "Three Songs for St. Cecilia's Day", and he later published the poem as "Anthem for St. Cecilia’s Day ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester Square</span>

Chester Square is an elongated residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It was developed by the Grosvenor family, as were the nearby Belgrave and Eaton Square. The square is named after the city of Chester, the city nearest the Grosvenors' ancestral home of Eaton Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savoy Chapel</span> Anglican church with Royal Peculiar status in London, dedicated to John the Baptist

The King's Chapel of St John the Baptist in the Precinct of the Savoy, also known as the King's Chapel of the Savoy, is a church in the City of Westminster, London. Facing it are 111 Strand, the Savoy Hotel, the Institution of Engineering and Technology and – across the green to its side – the east side of Savoy Street. The chapel is designated as a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Michael's Church, Basingstoke</span> Church in Hampshire, United Kingdom

St. Michael's Church is an Anglican parish church in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. It is located in the lower part of the town, near its centre, towards the northern end of Church Street and is of historical value. It is designated a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Laurence's Church, Frodsham</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Laurence's Church is in Church Road, Frodsham, Cheshire, England. The church stands, not in the centre of the town, but in the elevated area of Overton overlooking the town. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Frodsham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Nicholas Church, Burton</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Nicholas Church is in the village of Burton, Ellesmere Port and Neston, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Wirral South. Its benefice is combined with that of St Michael, Shotwick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Matthew's Church, Stretton</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Matthew's Church is in the village of Stretton, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Great Budworth. Its benefice is combined with that of St Cross, Appleton Thorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Matthew's Church, Northampton</span> Church in United Kingdom

St Matthew's Church, Northampton is a Church of England parish church in Northampton, within the Diocese of Peterborough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Trinity Church, Horwich</span> Church in Greater Manchester, England

Holy Trinity Church, commonly known as Horwich Parish Church, is a Grade II listed building in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Church of England parish church and part of the Deane deanery in the archdeaconry of Bolton, diocese of Manchester. Holy Trinity Church is now part of the United Benefice of Horwich and Rivington, which includes the other two Anglican churches in Horwich, St Catherine's Church and St Elizabeth's Church, and Rivington Anglican Church.

The Canticles constitute a series of five musical works by composer Benjamin Britten. The pieces were written at various points in his career, with three of them written as memorials. Instrumentation differs on each piece, and several are based on non-sacred texts. A review in Opera Today notes, "Britten didn't draw upon the Scriptures for the texts of his canticles, which resemble cantatas more than church hymns in scale and structure, but an intense religious spirit pervades them all." Musicologist Peter Evans notes the works contain a "mood of spiritual elevation intense enough to demand realization in an ambitious musical structure".

This is a summary of 1941 in music in the United Kingdom.

The Reverend Canon Wallace Harold Elliott was a Church of England clergyman and Precentor of the Chapels Royal, and a broadcaster on religious matters for the BBC, known as "the Radio Chaplain".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mark's Church, Scarisbrick</span> Church in Lancashire, England

St Mark's Church stands on the corner of Southport Road and Jacksmere Lane in Scarisbrick, Lancashire, England. Built in 1848–51, it is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Ormskirk, the archdeaconry of Warrington, and the diocese of Liverpool. The parish and benefice includes The Good Shepherd Mission, a tin chapel also located in Scarisbrick on Smithy Lane.

<i>Childrens Crusade</i> (Britten) Composition by Benjamin Britten

Children's Crusade, Op. 82, subtitled a Ballad for children's voices and orchestra is a composition by Benjamin Britten. He completed it in 1969, setting Bertolt Brecht's poem Kinderkreuzzug 1939 for children's choir with some solo parts, keyboard instruments and an array of percussion, to be performed mainly by children. It was first performed in an English version at St Paul's Cathedral in London on 19 May 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jubilate Deo (Britten)</span> 1961 sacred choral composition by Benjamin Britten

Benjamin Britten's Jubilate Deo is a sacred choral setting of Psalm 100 in English, written in 1961 for St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, "at the request of H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh". Britten scored the joyful music in C major for four-part choir and organ. A late companion piece to his 1934 Te Deum in C, it is also known as his Jubilate in C. It has been performed and recorded often, including on Prince Philip's 80th and 90th birthdays, and for his funeral service on 17 April 2021.

<i>Hymn to St Peter</i> 1955 cantata by Benjamin Britten

Hymn to St Peter is a cantata for treble soloist, SATB choir and organ composed by Benjamin Britten in 1955. The piece was the last Britten composed before he first travelled to Asia. He set the text from the gradual of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul to music which was based on the plainsong of the Alleluia from the hymn. The piece starts with a sombre organ theme in B Flat and when the choir joins in it is initially in unison before breaking into harmonies. After a nimble interlude that recalls children's play, the piece returns to the original theme, ending with a coda played by the organ alone. The piece was first performed at the quincentenary celebrations of St Peter Mancroft, Norwich on 20 November 1955. It was subsequently performed by The Sixteen under Harry Christophers and has frequently been sung with children's voices.

References

  1. Historic England, "Church of St Michael (1357286)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 6 January 2020
  2. 1 2 Ben Weinreb and Christopher Hibbert. The London Encyclopaedia (1992 ed.). Macmillan. p. 770. ISBN   0-333-57688-8.
  3. "St Michaels Church WW1". War Memorials Register. Imperial War Museum . Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  4. Dennis Shrock (7 April 2009). Choral Repertoire. Oxford University Press. p. 532. ISBN   978-0-19-971662-3.
  5. Trevor Beeson (2006). The Canons: Cathedral Close Encounters. Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd. p. 140. ISBN   978-0-334-04041-5.
  6. Benjamin Britten (7 July 2011). Letters from a Life Vol 1: 1923-39: Selected Letters and Diaries of Benjamin Britten. Faber & Faber. p. 277. ISBN   978-0-571-26591-6.
  7. "Figaro makes return to Nigeria". Times Higher Education. 1996. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  8. Charles Moore (3 October 2019). Margaret Thatcher: The Authorized Biography, Volume Three: Herself Alone. Penguin Books Limited. p. 819. ISBN   978-0-241-32475-2.
  9. "Building of the month:St Michael's Clubhouse". 20th Century Society . Retrieved 6 January 2020.